Father
by Tian Lee
Summary: Relationship or how the characters feel about their father.
1. Kai

**Father-Kai**

 ***Set after Season 1 before Season 2***

 ***Beware of OOC Kai***

One afternoon, Sensei Wu was drinking his tea in his room while enjoying the sunset that was staining the world red. He was in a deep appreciation for the unusually delicious tea when somebody carefully knocked on his door.

"Come in," He called.

"Uh…Sensei Wu…?" Kai, who was wearing his red uniform just like always, opened the door. He, strangely, looked quite uncomfortable. He was unable to stay in one spot, looking like a nervous dog.

"What do you need, Kai?"

"So…Um…Uh…Sensei, may I go somewhere with Nya tomorrow? We'll return before the sun sets, I promise. It's…important."

"Really? Alright, you may go. Oh wait, let's just give all the Ninjas a vacation, how about that? They've been training hard too recently; giving them a day off will do them good."

At Sensei's words, Kai's expression considerably brightened.

"Thank you Sensei! I'll tell other kids about the day off."

"Thank you Kai. And oh,"

And Sensei's words, Kai turned around with eyes full of questions.

"Can't you tell me what the business that you must attend is?"

After hearing the question, Kai gave him an awkward smile and curtly said,

"I would prefer not to. Do I have to answer your question?"

"…No, it's alright. Have a good journey tomorrow."

"Thank you, Sensei."

* * *

The next morning, unlike his usual self Kai woke up extra early and began moving busily. He cooked; he packed food, fruits, and other various items into his large backpack and did a lot of other things too.

"Hey Kai, what are you doing this early on a golden vacation…?"

Jay, who had woken up early thanks to Kai's clamoring, yawned and began saying complaints but stopped after getting one look at Kai.

"Uh…what happened, Kai? Why are you wearing a black suit? And with white shirt too, not the usual red you prefer. And Nya also…"

Kai and Nya were both wearing black suits, and Nya didn't even do the makeup she liked so much. Instead, she wore a pink chap stick. And Kai-his usual spiky hair was neatly combed to a side, something that has never been done before in the history of Ninjago.

"If we ride the dragon, we would be able to arrive by at least 11 o'clock, right? I promised Sensei that I would come back before sunset."

"Kai, even if we ride a dragon, to travel from here to there takes at least two hours. If we want to return before the sun sets, we should probably finish it by 4 PM."

"Alright. We have nothing missing, right? Nothing forgotten?"

"Nope. And even if we did, most of the things we can buy in the nearby town, so don't worry."

"Okay. Go?"

"Go!"

Either they hadn't heard Jay or they just ignored him, but they didn't answer his question before leaving. Jay, who now stood alone in a lonely room, only laughed weakly, as if he couldn't quite process what he just saw.

"…What the heck just happened?"

* * *

Kai and Nya covered the distance that would have normally taken all day by foot or car only in two hours by riding their dragon. And the place they flew to was their hometown. When they began walking down the familiar roads and paths, the old neighbors and friends called out to them and greeted them, which Kai and Nya all replied with smiles.

"Ho, it's the Blacksmith siblings! How have you been?" The Butcher called out.

"How long it has been? Nya, you have gotten so much prettier than the last time I saw you! Do you want to meet my son? I think he'll look quite nicely with you…" The fruit stand woman asked.

"Long time no see, kids! How long are you going to stay this time?" The farmer greeted.

"We've been fine, thank you! I think you look much younger than the last time we saw you, ma'am. Sadly, we're only going to stay for a few hours today, so we don't have much time." Kai and Nya replied.

As they went along the path sharing delightful talks with their old neighbors, Kai and Nay arrived at the little hill behind their old house, the forge. With the unique skills of a Ninja, they carefully and slowly climbed the hill, and when they arrived at the top, the whole village spread out under them. And there was a gravestone overlooking the village, covered with moss and grass. Kai carefully opened his bag and began putting out pears, apples, fish, liquor, and other food in front of it.

"We're here, Father." Kai said with a soft voice that didn't match his usual self.

"Your children are here. Have you been well while we were away?"

"Ow, Kai, stop acting so strange! It's not like you're filming a movie or anything, you know? Just be yourself. Dad would like that better too, I bet. Don't you say, Dad?"

Playfully hitting Kai's shoulder, she gave him a true piece of her mind and then began talking towards the gravestone of their father.

"Dad, how are you? For us, so many things happened. Like, I was kidnapped to the Skeleton Army, so Kai went under Sensei Wu's wing to be trained as a ninja so that he could rescue me. Oh, don't worry about me being kidnapped before. Kai appeared like a hero and rescued me! He looked so awesome when he did that. Oh wait; he is a hero after all! Well, anyway, right now we're living with Sensei Wu. And Kai is still being trained as a Ninja. A boy even likes me! He's name's Jay, and um, he's very humorous and energetic, so he follows me around and tells me that he likes me and that I should be his girlfriend. But should I? To be honest, I do like him, but I don't know if I like him as a friend or as a boy. But my heart does start beating so strangely when I'm around him…"

"Seriously? I should tell Jay that. He will be so excited~."

"Oh, Kai!" Maybe because Nya temporarily forget that Kai was next to her, her face became as red as a ripe tomato and sprang up.

"Did you really have to say that while I was talking to Dad? Whatever! Just talk to him all by yourself!"

Nya became really angry-or maybe she was just quite embarrassed-she began to hike back to the foot of the hill. But right before she was out of Kai's sight, she turned around and yelled once more.

"If you tell anybody that I like Jay, I'm going to kill you!"

"Hey, hey, stop saying that stuff in front of Father…" Kai murmured as if aghast, staring at the spot where Nya had been just seconds ago, then burst out laughing.

"But you'll forgive her, won't you, Father? You always liked her best. Frankly, the real reason Nya went down the hill was to give us some Father-to-Son talking time."

Even though he chatted to his father with a voice full of good humor, there was a sad smile hanging from his lips. His father always did treat Nya more specially than him. It was partly because she was a girl-and partly because Nya looked just like their mother, who passed away soon after Nya's birth. So even when his father was lying in his deathbed, his last words were, "Protect your Sister."

"Father, I'm doing everything just like I should, right? I'm always trying my best, but sometimes…sometimes I'm afraid that my best won't be enough. No matter how tired or worn-out my body is, because I have to protect Nya, I just train on and on, but I'm still scared that harm will come to Nya because I am not strong enough to protect her."

Quietly, he filled a small cup with rice wine and sprayed it over the gravestone, soaking the dry grass and parched land with it. As the wine immersed into the dehydrated land, he filled the cup again with wine and sprayed it once more.

"…If I was an adult, I would have drunken it with you, but I'm sorry that I can't. Next time, when I'm an adult, I'll drink it with you, I promise. But it seems like that I'm far from being an adult, father. Yesterday evening, when Sensei asked where I was going, I reacted rather…immature and replied rudely. I could have told him that I was visiting you, but when I tried to say it, my throat just…closed, because I still can't believe that you're dead, because it still feels like…it still feels like when I go to the forge, you'll be tending the fire…"

A single droplet of tear slowly ran down from his eye to his chin. As if he didn't know what he was crying, Kai kept talking to his father about himself that he had never told anyone else-not to Cole, or Sensei, or even Nya.

"Sometimes, very rarely, there are times when I wake up in the morning and I think that…everything's just a dream. That I was still a normal blacksmith's son and that you're a normal blacksmith you had stayed in the town for all your life. Then, I began to realize-there are people around me, and you're dead, and me being a ninja is not a dream at all. And every time that happens, it just crashed down on me and I want to just go back to sleep again until reality becomes the dream."

More tears began streaming out of his eyes and like a little child; he curled himself into a ball. Even though he was almost an adult, his mind was still a boy from when his father passed away. Even though he looked like a fiery flame, in reality he was a weak sputter of a fire that could be stifled by one small stream of wind, very unstable indeed.

"Father…Dad…I feel…so tired. It's not that I don't like my friends. No, rather, they're too good for me. But sometimes, I really want to go back to the time to when you were alive. Because I just really want to see you, because I miss you so much…Dad…Dad…"

The day when his father who seemed like he'll never leave left, the day when his father who seemed like he'll protect him forever left, Kai, at the young age of 15, had to send his father away with his own hands. On the day when even the sky was cruelly so bright and cheery, Kai grabbed young Nya's hands tightly within his own and did a funeral with only a few close neighbors, strangely, he couldn't cry. Some people praised him for being mature at such a young age, and some people commented on how heartless he was to not cry at his father's funeral, but Kai couldn't hear anything at all. It seemed like the coffin, which was being slowly buried into the ground, was empty, and when he finished the meaningless funeral, his father would be waiting at home, the house warm with the toasty fire that was always lit within his house.

It wasn't.

When he finished the funeral and returned home, the house and cold and empty. And Kai disliked it for no reason at all-hated it enough to light a fire himself into the stove and watch it burn. But his father still didn't return, and Kai carried on the family business with his inexperienced skills. At least, until Sensei Wu recruited him as a ninja.

But still, he was only a resentful kid who was missing his father who never returned for him.

From the past, to now, and even to the opaque future.

* * *

 **A/N: Hello! I wanted to write about the characters and their fathers partly for father's day, partly out of my own greed (...). I didn't write anything for a while...I'm out of practice. Anyway, thank you for reading and sorry if I'm being too dramatic in writing. Reviews are greatly appreciated, thank you!**


	2. Lloyd

**Father-Lloyd**

 ***Slight GreenFlame***

 ***Set after Season 5. Don't read if you don't want spoilers***

After the Ninjas have defeated Master Chen and his false Anacondrai army, Ninjago regained his peace. However, because reality was not sweet like a fairy tale, the ending of "and then everybody lived happily ever after" didn't happen. Sensei Garmadon, Lloyd's father, was sacrificed to bring the peace. When he told Lloyd that everything was his karma and to send him to the Cursed Land, he looked so serene, as if giving up on life, as if just accepting the cruel fate. And Lloyd, who had chosen to send his own father to the Cursed Land, felt as if his mind was being ripped to pieces. When he was reading the letters that would send his father to the Cursed Land, his own throat seemed to tighten, fighting against him, his hands were so shaky it was almost impossible to read the letters, and his very lung seemed to refuse oxygen, making him unable to breathe. Despite all that, Lloyd read the curse to the end with a hoarse voice, and his father, Sensei Garmadon, was sent to the Cursed Land forever.

After that, even though Lloyd seemed to be coping well with his father's death, his insides always seemed to knot and burn. To be truthful, while all citizens were celebrating peace and victory, the main characters of the celebration, the Ninjas, couldn't stay very happy. To Sensei Wu, he lost a recently reunited brother, to Misako she lost a dear husband, and the Ninjas lost a precious Sensei. Even though their misery, too, was great, how could they be compared to Lloyd's? Lloyd, who had lost his father before he had even had a chance to talk to him father-to-son, felt as if he was drowning in guilt. But because all that was hidden beneath the special maturity and smiles of a hero, the Ninjas couldn't do anything but give Lloyd their sadness and sympathy.

If this façade continued, Lloyd might have actually drowned in guilt, and he would have gladly accepted it too. But maybe because similar people recognize each other, before Lloyd completely drowned inside the deep well within himself, a person reached out their hand, and because Lloyd couldn't refuse it, he managed to survive another day.

"You can cry, Lloyd."

Kai said to Lloyd one day out of blue.

"You can cry. Don't hold it back."

"Huh? What do you mean, Kai?"

Lloyd replied back with a shaky voice. He really did want to cry-just like a six-year old. However, he wasn't a six year old but an adult, so he just bottled it in.

"You know what I mean." Kai sighed, then he suddenly pulled Lloyd so that Lloyd's forehead was resting against his shoulder.

"Your father. Anacondrai army. Being a hero. You're being hard on yourself. You know that you want to cry. So don't hold back."

"Kai, I really don't understand what you're talking about. I'm really okay-"

Lloyd tried to get away from Kai, but the brunette tightened his grip on the blonde's head, trapping him.

"You know, my father, he…passed away when I was fifteen."

Lloyd looked at Kai, surprised at the sudden change of topic, but he went on, ignoring the looks of puzzlement.

"But you know what? I couldn't cry. Like, no tears came out at all. When I was going to the funeral, when I was burying his coffin, nothing came out of me. I couldn't believe that he was dead. It-It felt like when I finished the funeral and went back home, my father would be tending the fire at the stove, and that his death was some horrifying nightmare. But, that wasn't it. That wasn't true. He didn't come back. And that's when I realized-oh, I going to never see him again. That it was really a good bye for…forever."

"Kai…"

"After I realized that, I just…felt resentment toward my dad. I resented him for leaving before I did, I resented him for the fact that I won't be able to see him again, and I resented him for just…everything. For me, although it's been three years since he passed away, there are times, often, when I can't just believe that he's gone. And there have been lots of times when I wanted to cry or go back to the time to when he was alive. But you're only eleven. I lost my father when I was fifteen and it was still that hard on me, but you're only eleven. You lost your father at eleven."

"Kai, I'm eighteen, not ele-"

"Sure, your body may be eighteen, but your mind is still eleven. You're just a kid pretending to be an adult. You're just a poor kid who had their seven years of childhood robbed because you had to be a hero! You can cry, Lloyd. Maybe not to other people, but you can at least depend on me. At least, to me, you can be an eleven-year-old kid. You have the full right to be. To be an eleven-year-old and to cry."

So Lloyd did cry. He just crushed that he had lost his father even before he had the chance to know him, and he hated himself for not being able to stop that from happening, and he was thankful to Kai who told him that he could cry. The guilt that was drowning him, and the anger that was throttling him, he all sent it down in tears. As if he didn't know what shame was, he cried like a kid.

He was an eleven-year-old kid pretending to be an eighteen-year-old after all.

* * *

 **A/N: Hello! Thank you to those people who have read this and reviewed! And I'm also sorry that this is much shorter than the last one. It's simply that I love Kai more (...) and I just have been thinking about Kai's for much longer amount of time. And I also wanted to write about how Lloyd, who was originally 11 (In my opinion, not sure) but was turned into 18 (again, my opinion, not a fact) but he acts so much more mature than other ninjas at times. And when I finished writing, I couldn't find a way to make it longer, so I decided to update it just the way it was. Thank you for reading, and please review!**


	3. Zane

**Father-Zane**

People often say that death is a passage which all men have to pass once in their lives.

For Zane's father, he was passing it not only once, but twice.

Zane held the old man's hand tightly as he breathed slowly, in and out, in and out, as his life, unlike his breath, seeped out, out, out. The old man seemed to be so fragile; his body delicate and brittle like an dried twig, ready to snap at the slightest shock; his hands, once strong and skilled, were now held by Zane, only managing to weakly grasp his thin fingers around the young man's sturdy hands.

"Zane," He breathed out, so softly Zane couldn't almost catch it, "Zane, my son…"

"Yes, father?" Zane replied, leaning close to catch every word his father spoke.

"What…a strong…man…you grew…to…be." He whispered, "I…am…happy…that I…could see you…like this…before I really…passed away…"

"I'm happy that I could be with you too, father. Now, don't speak, father. Don't use too much of your energy-the doctors are coming, they will make you feel better…"

"No…My…time…has…come. Rather, it…already…passed…when I first…died. I was truly…blessed…to see you…again. I am one…of the luckiest…man on Ninjago…Zane…"

"No, no, the doctors are coming, father. You're just feeling a bit weak and delirious, that's all. Your time is not yet here." Zane tightened his grip on the fragile hand within his palm, but not too much, as if afraid that too much force will break it. His voice was calm and soft as usual, but a tiny trembling of his lower lip betrayed his anxiety.

"My…son…I am…very…proud of you…very much so…you have grown…much stronger…than I could…ever raised you…to be. When I…first passed away…I was…afraid that my…death would break…you…so I…erased your memory…but I know…that you're much…more resilient…and supported…now. I know…that you'll…fare well…and grow…to be…one of the…greatest heroes…Ninjago has…ever known…"

"Father…" Zane bit his lower lip, his metal-like grey eyes shut in worry and unease. He carefully held the hand up to his forehead, feeling the weak vein still pumping the blood around the body of the old man, feeling the life that was still continuing, though very weakly.

"Don't…be…ashamed…that you're…a machine, Zane. You…are…a human…like…everybody else. No, more…human…to some, even. Your…kind…mind…and intelligent…brain…will be…a great…help…to everybody…around you. Always…use…your strength…for people…who cannot…defend themselves."

"Yes, father. I will. I will use my power to defend people who cannot defend for themselves. I will protect the world, father. I will make you proud."

"I…already…am…very much…proud of you…son. And always…know…that…you can…also…be supported…too. You…have great…friends…you will…help you greatly…do not…seek to…bear all your…weights…alone."

"Yes, father."

"And…a…promise…for me?"

"I will promise you anything, father. Anything."

Dr. Julien looked at Zane with loving, caring eyes and smiled gently.

"Please…take good…care of yourself…and follow me…onto this journey…long, long time after…me."

"I will, father. I promise."

"And…Zane?"

"Yes, father?"

The frail old man seemed to be running out of energy, his breath getting shaky and his hands held almost no power at all. However, when he said the last sentence, the words were loud and clear, for all the word to hear.

"I loved you very much."

A drop of tear slid down Zane's mechanical eyes and down his cheek and the sob he had been holding onto began breaking out. He buried his face in the old man's hand, crutching the old skin tightly and lovingly.

"Me too, father." He whispered.

"I loved you too."

Zane heard no reply as the last of the old man's spirit seeped out from the man's body with a touch of smile remaining on the now empty body.

And Zane wept for his father, an amiable, wonderful man who had created him.

* * *

"I am sorry, Zane. I know how it feels like." Kai gave Zane his sympathy as he patted the white-haired man on the back. Zane nodded mutely and fingered the yellow bracelet he wore on his right arm over the black suit, not meeting anyone's eyes.

The picture of his father that faced him was nothing like the faces he saw on the last days. In the picture, his father was jubilant and healthy, his glasses for once tidy but his hair crazy like usual. He smiled at Zane with the uttermost joy, his eyes sparkling in a way they always did when he was thinking of a new invention. Yes, that was his father-his father whom Zane so sorely missed, like a piece of his heard had been taken away. Even though he had experienced his death once before, experiencing it twice did not make it any easier. If anything more, it made the pain even more sting. These were the kind of pains you could not get used to.

"Zane, would you be willing to tell us about your father, since you were his only family?" Sensei Wu kindly asked him, startling Zane out of his thoughts.

"Of course, Sensei." Zane replied. There were a great number of people gathered for his father's funeral-after all, Dr. Julien was a respected inventor and member of the community.

Slowly he walked to the front of the room, his legs shaky, and his throat tight. It took a few tries before he could get his vocal transmitters to work properly.

"Dear guests," he began, "thank you for coming to my father's funeral. As all of you may know, he was a great inventor, one with cognitive and intuitive mind. He invented various things that have helped us greatly in times of need or danger, like me.

"Like he was a great inventor, he was also a great father. He has taught me many great things; he has helped me in life and supported me like no other parents could. He taught me what love was, and he taught be what emotions were, why they were here. In the heart."

Zane placed his hand on his heart, or at least, where the heart would be for normal people. Some people in the audience were nodding, some were weeping, and some showed no reaction at all. Suddenly, something went off in Zane's head-maybe the logical button was turned off, maybe the emotional button was turned up a notch too high-but for whatever reason, he felt a surge of emotions-anger, sadness, emptiness-and he decided that he wasn't just going to stick with the routine speech for his father. No, he was going to speak his mind.

"Actually, cross that. He was a horrible father." He almost shouted, his grey eyes brazen with anger.

"When he first passed away, he erased all my memories, so I was left clueless at some random village with no idea of who I was. And when he was brought back by the Skalkins, he hid away in a faraway island where nobody could ever find him! And now that I've reunited with him, he now passes away and leaves me all alone again…"

Salty tears began forming around his eyes. Zane batted them away harshly, not pausing a second.

"Why couldn't he have just left my memories to mourn? I have loved him so much; and that was what made him afraid…that my love for him would break me. And yes, he was right. I loved him too much…now that I've experienced his death again, I feel like I'm going to break…it just…it just hurts so much. And what kind of father lets his child feel so much pain?"

His voice dropped to a volume barely above whispering.

"I couldn't help but love him with all my heart; and now he breaks it. That's how great he is…to make his son love him the most in the world and pass away! And he had made me promise that I would come after him a long, long time after. Now I have to wait a long time until I can see him again…what a horrible dad…to make his son wait so long to see him…"

Zane had loved his father too much.

And it hurt like nothing he had ever experienced before.

* * *

"I'm…taking…you…with…me…Overlord!"

Zane shouted, his hands firm on the Overlord's black, slimy tentacles. An array of data flashed before his eyes; warnings, warnings, warnings. Too much power, the heart is at the critical mass, they said.

 _I'm sorry, father._ Zane thought. _I guess I'm not keeping my promise to you…see you soon._

His ice power exploded, aimed straight and true that the heart of the Overlord.

 _Say, Father, when I see you at the Underworld, all broken and scattered, will you re-build me and lead me through the Underworld, just like you did when you were alive?_

* * *

 ** _A/N:_ Hello there! I feel that this is a lot...OOC for Zane, but I really wanted to see him get out of his all-so-calm state and say what he feels actually for once. Thank you for reading and please review!**


	4. Jay

**Father-Jay**

Jay was feeling as if he was going to die of embarrassment.

His parents, Ed and Edna, had unexpectedly decided to pay Jay and other fellow ninjas a visit to their new home, the Bounty. Jay had forewarned his friends-to never play along with what his parents were saying, since they were very talkative, and to be acquainted with their-well, a bit strange behavior. But, as if his friends had listened into one ear and out the other, they were talking quite actively with his parents, which worried him immensely. And in front of Nya, too. If Nya heard all the things Jay's parents always told everybody…

"Oh, by the way, is Jay taking good care of himself? He's such a forgetful boy, when he was younger, he would put on his pants without wearing his undies, you know~"

"Mom!" Jay yelled, his face flushed red, but Edna only laughed in a good-natured way.

"Can we take the scraps you have outside there? It looks like you don't have any use for it anyway…" Jay's dad asked, pointing to the random pieces of trash the Ninjas had taken out earlier that day.

"Uh…sure. They're trash for us anyway. What are you going to use them for?" Zane replied, surprised that anybody would want their garbage.

"Trash? They're like gold! You have no idea of their value, young man. Edna! This hearty fellow here doesn't know the true value of the treasure outside! Isn't that so unfortunate?" Ed exclaimed.

"Yes, dear. Think about what nice additions they will be to our collection! And all the things we can make with those!" Edna agreed, her honey brown eyes twinkling with happiness

"As if all the 'collection' is nothing but garbage…" Jay muttered under his breath, scowling.

"Why did you come anyway? I called you two days ago."

"Once in two days? We need a call seven times a day, son! When are you going to visit the dump? You always say that you're going to come but you never actually do!" Ed asked, wiping his hands on his grease-matted pants and shirt.

"Dad! Don't talk about the dump in front of my friends!" Jay hissed.

"Oh, embarrassed, Cutiepants? It's nothing to be embarrassed about, Jay." Ed teased slightly, but a flash of hurt crossed his sweet, blue eyes.

"Dad!" Jay hissed again, not noticing.

"And-the tea's delicious, can I have more?-will you give us a tour of your home? It seems to be quite nice and we have a lot of time on our hands, you know?" Edna requested. And of course, all the Ninjas agreed despite Jay's ignored protests.

"Ok, so this is the living room, and this is the coffee machine, and this is the spyglass. That's all." Jay pointed to various things in the room, showing the place in one grand sweep. It was quite evident in his voice that he was tired and wished with all his mind that his parents would go back home.

"Nice, son! I'm so proud of you!" Ed smiled, patting his son's back.

"Yeah, yeah." Jay muttered.

"Oh, what's that? You didn't show us that one." Edna pointed to a large device in the middle of the room, a tall pole-with a button on it.

"That's some kind of defensive device Jay is inventing." Cole quickly explained.

"Really? How exciting! Can we take a look at it? What are its features? What can it do? What-"

"No, because it's. Not. Done." Jay said through clenched teeth, blocking the way.

"I can work on it on my own. I'll show you when it's finished, alright? Oh, my gosh! Look at the time already, so late- you better go before it gets dark, Dad. I told you-there are Serpentine Armies out there and we don't want you to get hurt by them, yes?"

"Ah, yes, I guess so…" Edna muttered, looking sad and disappointed for the first time since they got to the Bounty.

"Thank you for sharing your wonderful stories about Jay's first time kissing his pillow. It was so fun!" Cole thanked Edna, which immediately brightened her.

"Oh no, it's quite alright! I have so much more stories to tell you if you'd like, like the story of-"

"Mom! Snakes! Snakes are coming out at night, yeah? Hm?"

"Alrighty, dear. We're going, we're going."

"Be sure to call us later!"

"Good bye! Be careful while driving!"

Jay waved to them until they were a speck against the setting sun. Heaving a deep sigh of relief, he turned to his friends, awaiting the teases and the laughs he'll get.

"I'm sorry guys…but I told them to not come, but-"

"Your parents? Nah, they're cool." Kai shrugged.

"I'm actually pretty glad that they visited today. We learned a lot about reusing, recycling, and inventing. I could see why even you described them 'talkative.' They're pretty fun people to talk to."

"They…they are?" Jay murmured, surprised.

"Sure, man! They are way better than my dad. They actually seem to love you and care for you. That's more than what I got." Cole yawned, stretching. The wind ruffled his black hair.

"Love? Care? Yeah…I guess. It's just that…well, it like they got no sense of private space or private information, you know? And their clothes too…"

"Hah!" Cole muttered under his breath, smirking.

"Look here, 'Cutiepants', you don't know how lucky you are, huh? That's the reason I don't like people like you. Spoiled and a snob. Don't know how precious what you have is until you lose it, huh?"

"What are you talking about, you Eyebrows? You've got no right to say things like that!" Jay growled, his eyebrows furrowed together in anger. Kai, Nya, and Zane, sensing yet another fight, excused themselves into another room, hurrying to escape the tornado to come.

"No right? I've got every right! I live in a free country and I can say whatever I like! And I say, you. Are. Spoiled."

"Spoiled? Try living in a freaking dump all your life. Your friends shun you because you smell, your parents' hobby is collecting trash, and your mom goes off, telling every single people on this planet about all your embarrassing moments!"

"It's better than having your father who forces you to do things you never want to do, require perfection on every single thing you try, he never says good job, he never says I love you, he never tells anybody else about me!"

"Sure, Mr. Miserable. At least your father poke and prod at every single thing you do! At least he gives you privacy, and space is the most thing I needed while living with them!"

"Spoiled, spoiled kid." Cole sneered.

"Let's see how heartbroken you'll be when you realize how lucky you have been."

* * *

"Jay, you are going to visit your parents today, right?" Kai asked the chestnut haired Ninja, who was working on his mysterious button and other gadgets.

"Well, I would love to, but as you can see, I'm too busy." Jay replied. It had been several days since Jay's parents had visited him, and he was just hoping that everybody would have forgotten about that. But sadly, no, they hadn't.

"What? But you promised!" Kai protested just as Nya walked in.

"Jay, you're going to your parents' house today, right?" Nya asked, smiling. Jay hurriedly smiled back and nodded eagerly.

"Yeah, I'm totally going to!" He said. Kai shoot him a look.

"What? A promise is a promise?" Jay protested, frowning.

"Well, have fun there, "Cutiepants,'" Nya winked at Jay and went back into the Bounty.

"Wait, Nya-" Jay called, and Nya stopped, eyes full of questions.

"Well, as you know, our dragons went to the east for metamorphosis, which means that I have to travel all that distance by myself. I really do wish somebody would accompany me, you know~"

"Oh, we can go with you. That's what friends are for, right?" Kai intervened, smiling broadly.

 _I'm not leaving my sister alone with you._ His glare said.

"…Great…" Jay murmured, feeling a headache coming on.

"Just great."

* * *

The Ninjas and Sensei Wu trudged along the dusty road, heading slowly towards Ed and Edna's house. The sun was hot and blistering and the dry air was full of dust.

"Weird…" Jay murmured, his head cocked to a side, as if listening for something.

"What's weird?" Zane asked.

"We're very close to my house, but I can't hear my parents chatting. We should have been able to hear them a mile away, unless…" Jay's blue eyes widened in realization and fear as a thought struck him.

"Unless something happened to them!"

Donning his Ninja hood on, Jay began running towards his home, a million thoughts passing through his mind.

 _What happened? What could have happened? A sudden illness? An accident? The Snakes, maybe?_

Jay reached his home, which was definitely too quiet-none of the machinery was on, the usual whirring and smooth vibration of the gadgets were absent, and most of all, the lively voice of his parents were nowhere to be heard.

 _What if…What if the Snakes took them? As a hostage? Or even…killed them?_

Terrible, terrible thoughts began to fill his mind. He thought about his Mother-Edna, who was always so lively and worried about him; always giving him more food to eat, checking if he was alright, protecting him like a wolf guarding her pups. And his Father-oh, his father, who gave him the love of inventing, the talent, his old man jokes, even his white, grizzly hair-what had happened to them?

Yes, there were often times when he wished that his parents would leave him alone; or even just disappear, sometimes. But not like this. Not in this way. He didn't want them to be gone, not really-he loved them too much for that.

Yes, he loved them, Jay realized. Loved them more than anything in the world, even Nya or inventing. They did give him some embarrassing moments, and they did make him annoyed sometimes, but they were Jay's parents, Jay's mother and father. They were people whom Jay could tell the world that they were his family without being ashamed.

He was not embarrassed of his parents anymore. He just wanted them to be next to him right now, safe and sound.

Series of bangs and muffled screams erupted from a chained container in the corner of the dump. As Jay opened it, he found his parents in there, trapped and tied.

"Jay! You finally came!" Edna cried in joy.

"Run, son! This is a trap! The Sssss-Snakes bit us!" Ed warned. True to his word, Jay could be hints of a fang from the tips of their lips. But he didn't care. Snakes or not, they were his parents-and he could yell it out for the world to hear, if needed.

"Don't worry, dad. I'll get you back to normal." Jay promised.

"And oh, Jay, did you remember to wear clean under wear on your way here?" Edna asked.

"Mom!"

* * *

 **A/N: So, this chapter was more of a 'parent' than a 'father' chapter, but Ed and Edna couple is so delightful I couldn't afford to leave Edna out of the story! There are often times when I'm embarrassed by a certain thing my mom did, and I used that kind of situation to illustrate how Jay must have felt by his parents, but at the end he realizes that he loves them anyway and how great his parents really was. I hope that this was more light and carefree chapter than before, in contrast to my previous chapters. Thank you for reading and reviews are LOVE.**


	5. Cole

**Father-Cole**

Cole was surrounded by pitch-black darkness, darker than a moonless night. He could see nothing, not even his own hands. Above him, the darkness stretched on for forever, and below him, a pit of black, swirling _something_ squirmed and twisted, reaching out with its slimy tentacles, wanting to drag him down, yet not quite reaching him.

 _It's alright,_ he comforted himself. _It'll be over soon. I have been in this dream many times. I know how it goes. Nothing to be afraid of…nothing…nothing…_

He stood in the darkness for a few more moments, than out of the pit under him, a bit of the _something_ slithered out, twisting and contorting itself until it became a shape. A shape Cole knew much too well.

"Dad…" Cole whispered. Yes, this was always how the dream went. And yet, every time he was in the dream, Cole couldn't resist reaching forward to touch his father, like a hypnotized prey walking into the spider's web.

"Cole." His dad replied, a wide smile across his face.

"Cole, my proud son."

"You…are proud of…me." Cole murmured. How he wished that could be true. How he wished that _was_ true.

"Yes, I am. You are an amazing dancer, I know you are. You will bring forth the honor to our family!"

"I...will…bring…forth the honor…to my family?"

"Yes, that's true. I am proud of you son. I am proud of you."

"I love you, Cole."

And that's when every time Cole realized that it was indeed, truly a dream. His father would never say that he loved Cole.

"You're not real."

And his father's face, his smiling face, slowly, very slowly, melted off, revealing another face beneath, a horrible, terrifying, horrendous face of a monster.

"That's right, I'm not." It said in a terrible growling voice,

"And you're not my son. Did you really think that I wouldn't know you being a Ninja? Did you really think that your father didn't know that you quit dancing? No, we already know, _son_ , and we disowned you."

It laughed a terrible, terrible laugh, its hoarse voice cackling, the sound echoing all over the black, blank space Cole was in. He so desperately wanted to block his ears, to block the sound, but his body was frozen solid, unable to move a single finger.

"How could you do this to me? How could you do this to your family? After all the things I've given to you!" The monster yelled, his face once again changing back to his father's. He looked hurt and angry, and every feature in his face was as realistic as it could be.

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm so, so sorry…" Cole cried out in response, tears flowing over his violet eyes and streaming down his well-toned cheeks. He knew that it wasn't his dad, that it was a monster, but the face in front of him was so realistic, so similar-

"But I couldn't just handle it anymore…it was much too hard…Too much…for a little kid I was…"

"Too much? That's how I was treated when I was young, and so was your grandfather, and so on! I've got no use for a weakling! You are not my son!"

"I'm sorry dad…I am sorry…" Cole said again and again.

"I hate you, Cole! I hate you!" The monster-no, his dad, or maybe it was the monster? Cole couldn't tell anymore-bellowed out its final strike, and the pit under him stretched out its long tentacles and finally grabbed hold of Cole, dragging him down, drowning him, throttling him, and the air was thin, too thin, he couldn't breathe-

"AAAAAAH!" Cole bolted up from his bed, his body covered in sweat. The bed under him was a mess, the covers thrown about and the mattress crumpled.

 _I'm fine, I'm fine._ Cole thought to himself, _I'm still here, with my friends. My dad doesn't know anything…yet. I'm safe…for now._

After his heartbeat has returned to normal and he could breathe normally, Cole headed for the bathroom. He could really use a cold shower at that time.

* * *

"It's better than having your father who forces you to do things you never want to do, require perfection on every single thing you try, he never says good job, he never says I love you, he never tells anybody else about me!"

Cole yelled at Jay. Jay's parents had come over for a surprise visit, showing immense interest at everything Jay did or have done. They told everybody about how they were proud of Jay and how he was a wonderful boy, yet Jay shunned them and blocked them, as if they were an embarrassment. Cole was so jealous, he felt like he could explode. Jay's parents were loving, caring, and kind. Nothing like his own father. Yet Jay was so…so spoiled, complaining about them!

"Sure, Mr. Miserable. At least your father doesn't poke and prod at every single thing you do! At least he gives you privacy, and space is the most thing I needed while living with them!" Jay shouted back, his eyebrows furrowed together into a snarl.

"Spoiled, spoiled kid." Cole sneered.

"Let's see how heartbroken you'll be when you realize how lucky you have been."

Jay, his face as red as Kai's clothes, stomped out of the room and shut the door with a bang. Cole stared at the space where Jay had been and fell down onto a chair, his body suddenly having no strength at all. He dragged a hand down his face as he remembered his own childhood. His dark childhood which he hadn't thought about in a while…

"Act number one, jump up, act number two, spin back, and act number three, moonwalking!" Young Cole recited as he did the dance moves, synchronizing them almost perfectly with the music. Cole's father watched him from the sofa, his face stern and unsmiling.

"Act number four, bear roll, act number five, spring up, and act number-ah!" His steps twisted and Cole fell onto the floor pathetically, now entirely off-rhythm and off-beat.

"Cole, you've been practicing the dance moves for three days now but it's still not perfect. What's going on? You should have been able to master the dance moves in two days at most!" His father chided, tapping his cane impatiently against the wooden floor. Cole looked down on the floor guiltily, his hands folded neatly across his back and biting his lips nervously.

"Eh…I'm…so sorry, dad. I've been practicing…but the tutor did say that they were hard, even for experienced dance masters…"

"Excuses! Don't you dare talk back to me! You'll have no dinner today as the punishment. Go to your room and don't come out until you have perfected your dance moves."

With the last cold glance, Cole's father stood up from his sit and walked out of the room, leaving the Young Cole alone in the room with only the music blaring as the pitiful background noise.

He did try very hard. He practiced day and night, hoping to someday win his father's approval and praise, but every time he succeeded in something, the only thing that came back was higher expectations and higher demands. Cole always felt a gnawing pit of emptiness at his stomach, eating him from the inside. He tried to fill it up with food, and it did work-even if only for a few moments. So he ate as much as he could when the gnawing became unbearable and too empty. He could never figure out the exact reason of his emptiness though. And he still didn't know today. The pit was always gnawing him from the inside, slowly eating him, until he had nothing but a thin crust of himself left.

* * *

"Okay, so, everybody, let's review the plan. We go out, we steal the blade, and we go back. Got it?" Cole said, tugging at his uncomfortable tie. He wished to get out of the clothes as fast as possible and go back to the ship. It would be much more comfortable too, not having to lie to his dad. Oh, how he wished-

"Cole? What did I just hear? I-Is that true? Y-You are a thief?"

"Dad?" Cole turned around in horror, to see his dad staring at him like he would stare at a stranger, disbelieving.

"Well, Dad, uh, what is happening is-" Cole sputtered, trying to find his words, but failing. Heaving a deep sigh, he bit down on his lip and collected his thoughts.

"It's rather a good thing that I can tell the truth now. Well, dad…the truth is that I am a …Ninja. Not a dancer. I was tired of dancing, and I found what I really liked to do! I'm happy dad, and I really hope that you will…understand."

A moment passed. Then two. Finally, after the heavy silence was about to choke Cole to death, his father spoke.

"No. I do not understand. I will not understand. You are a dishonor. I never had a son."

With the words crushing down on Cole like a brick, his father coldly turned around and left, only leaving a trail of emptiness. Just like his dream, Cole thought. Just like his dream.

"I'm…sorry Cole." Zane awkwardly broke the silence, his hands fidgeting with his white hat. Kai and Jay nodded in agreement, their expressions grim and sad.

"No, it's alright." Cole smiled bitterly.

"I knew it would happen one day, one way or another. It just happened to be…today."

"Okay everybody…Let's get going. But we're not going to do it this way."

Cole swallowed, hoping to wash down the feeling of thick disappointment into his stomach, where the wide, deep pit of gnawing emptiness was, once again trying to gnaw him into nothingness.

"We're going to do it our way. And we're going to win the Blade fair and square."

* * *

"Jump up, kick back, whip around and spin! And step back, do it again. Ninja-Go! Ninja-Go!" Loud, pumping music blared from the speakers, winding up the crowd into its catchy rhythm. The Ninjas moved simultaneously, their body in a perfect synch. As the Serpentines moves up to the stage, planning to ruin their dance, Ninjas expertly defeated them, while still staying in the rhythm. As the last three Serpentines charged, Cole ran towards them, launching onto his feet as he did a cartwheel in the air as he hit the snakes with his feet, then hand, then head. As he landed on his feet, he crouched low like a tiger and growled, "Grrrr."

"T-Triple Tiger dance move! The legendary dance move has been succeeded!"

The crowd gasped, and as the judges delivered their scores and announced the Ninjas as the winner, the blade was brought forth. As the heavy blade was given to him, Cole desperately searched the crowd, hoping to see, so desperately hoping to see-

But he didn't. He couldn't find his father anywhere.

With a heavy heart despite their joyful victory, Cole trudged back to the back of the stage, his face devoid of any happiness or joy.

"Alright. We've won the blade. Now we've kept the Serpentines from awakening the Great Devourer." Cole muttered, his voice dry and cracked.

"Let's go home now."

"Cole! My son!" A voice boomed behind him, which made Cole turn in surprise.

"D-Dad…?" Cole said, disbelieving.

"Y-You saw everything…?"

"I did, my son! I saw you dance, I saw you defeat the snakes! What you said was true. I'm sorry for not believing you."

"Dad…" Cole felt his eyes getting hot and wet as his father pulled him into an embrace. The empty pit of nothingness in his stomach slowly filled up and shriveled away, only leaving an air of contentment in its trail.

"I'm proud of you, Son. I love you." His father said.

And Cole knew that this was not a dream.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm back! And now all the Ninja's stories are finished and done! I'm thinking about writing chapters in Nya's POV or Sensei Wu and Garmadon's POV if you guys want. I'll decide to write it or not based on how many people want it. Thank you for reading and please review!**


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